Unit: VF-32, US NavySerial: 211/AC (7517)The F8U Crusader was a brand new interceptor in 1958: the VF-32 has got its first Crusaders barely a year before the outbreak of the crisis in the Middle East. Nevertheless, this outstanding fighter was rapidly developed for carrier service and to prove its worth off Lebanon, the pilots of the VF-32 eventually accumulating no less but 1.295 flying hours during this emergency, in July and August 1958. Note special colour markings on the F8U, each being of specific significance. Official rules of the USN at the time specified strict aircraft numbers and trim colours to be used by each unit embarked on an aircraft carrier. For example, the first unit in each Carrier Air Group (CAG) had to designate its aircraft with serials 101 and up, and had Insignia Red as trim colour. During the 1958 cruise on board CVA-60 USS Saratoga, VF-32 was the second unit within the CAG, and therefore had to designate its aircraft with serials 201 and up, and the Orange-Yellow trim colour. Interestingly, although these rules were largely forgotten during the Vietnam War, both the VF-31 and VF-32 were to keep their colours (red and yellow, respectivelly) from the 1950s and 1960s in their markings until today.CVA-60 USS Saratoga

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